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I have had a few lovely days of vacation, just hanging out at home (I LOVE to cuddle up, be warm at home when it’s cold out), and really wanted to do something fun on my nails before heading back to work… My nail art started off with some stamping, and that did not go so well, so I changed gears and decided to try something new on my nails. I think I needed a palette cleanser because I’ve been craving a nice, white polish base, so I started with two coats of Butter LONDON’s gorgeous crisp white Cotton Buds.

One of my favourite types of art is abstract – the more colourful the lines, the better. I’ve also had my eye on the recent watercolour nail art trend, so beautiful and bright… What finally pushed me to give abstract nail art a try was The Nail Polish Challenge’s gorgeous “inspired by art work” manicure that I spotted on Instagram. My hope was that it would turn out even almost as nice as hers!

Once my white base was completely dry, I started brushing on little wisps of colour with a nearly-dry brush (I wiped the brush on the bottle neck until there was almost no polish left), starting with Porcelaine, the pale blue. In order, I then added strokes of Bouquet, Bloom, and finished up with a few dabs of the iridescent Perlé (note that Perlé actually provides a matte finish but I applied top coat which made it shinier). Et voila!

You can see the little iridescent areas in the macro shot (click to see full size image):

So simple, but I was blown away. Dior’s Trianon colours are perfect over this white ‘canvas’ and I could not be more happy with my first go at this!

I am almost inspired to paint this on a real canvas!

These gorgeous Dior Vernis shades will be released shortly, on January 15th! For more information (no shipping available to Canada), head to Dior.com or shop online at thebay.com!

What do you think of this look? Please take a moment to leave a comment or like this post if you like these!

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

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I was recently invited by the good people over at Nail Polish Canada (they do a good job of supporting my polish addiction!) to participate in their second annual Holiday Nail Art Challenge. Though I fancy myself a nail polish connoisseur, but hardly a nail “artist,” I still decided to give it a try and participate this year! Let’s see if I can keep up. 😉

The first week’s nail art challenge is “snow” – and I decided to go for an abstract look. My snow-themed nail art is inspired by the beauty of a sunny, cold day in the middle of winter, when the ground and trees are totally covered by sparkling, fluffy snow.

I started with a base colour of OPI’s Ski Slope Sweetie (which I was wearing over a coat of OPI’s My Vampire is Buff already) – this was completely dry. I then sponged on a gradient of Zoya’s gorgeous blue Pixie Dust Sunshine with a hint of a blue-grey holo Colors by Llarowe called Rare Bear in the middle and OPI’s Ski Slope Sweetie toward the base of the nail. Finally, I applied a few dots using Butter LONDON’s gorgeous white Cotton Buds and OPI’s glitter Which is Witch? for sparkling snow.

Mariah Carey for OPI’s Ski Slope Sweetie epitomizes a gorgeous, snow-covered ground – it is a beautiful white with golden shimmer, so I thought it would be the perfect base for this “snow-covered” mani. I love the sparkle and texture of Zoya’s Pixie Dust Sunshine, and thought the blue was a beautiful contrast to the white mani. Finally, OPI’s Which is Witch contains holographic glitter in a clear base, making it the perfect finishing touch for a “snow” themed manicure!

You’ve already seen the beautiful crisp Cotton Buds, and look how gorgeous it looks with Pimms and Silly Billy!!

Pimms is a term for a “gin-based tradition at its finest,” and is desribed as being a “refreshing beverage that is almost as popular as English tea.” A gorgeous opaque, sun‑flower yellow cream shade, Pimms is a crelly (cream jelly) polish that applies easily and dries to a gorgeous shine. On my middle finger I blended it lightly with Cotton Buds to lighten and brighten it, and on my ring finger: 2 coats alone.

Silly Billy is an opaque bright orange orange crème, and is a term for a popular clown “at fairs in Britain, and a fab nickname for anyone named William.” Another crelly-type polish, this was another dream to apply! I used two coats on my ring finger above on its own, and as you can see, it dried to a high finish.

I am totally obsessed with the Colour Clash collection and… consider me converted! I am in love with Butter LONDON lacquers.

The Colour Clash Collection is now available where Butter LONDON lacquers are sold. For more information, check out their website or follow on Facebook!

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

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A surprising twist for a fall launch, Butter LONDON has launched the Colour Clash collection for Fall 2013, consisting of five bright shades and a gorgeous, opaque white. You may have expected these to be summer shades, but Butter LONDON dared to live on the edge, fully expecting them to be paired with the muted shades of fall!

Today I have for you two of my favourites of this collection – let’s start with the crisp, clean beauty of Cotton Buds! A pure, opaque white creme, Cotton Buds was a dream to apply and wear. If you love white polish (I adore white polish!), you know what a pain it can sometimes be to apply, including streaking. Cotton Buds was incredible; applying with buttery, creamy ease, and drying to a super high shine. I think I wore Cotton Buds for five days before finally changing it, but all I had in that time to indicate wear was a tiny chip on one nail. Talk about endurance!

And here is the gorgeous shade at two coats:

Look at that amazing shine!

Changing gears to a bright hot pink, described as a nearly-neon pink cream, Cake Hole is a beauty. Venturing into coral territory, Cake Hole is hot, hot, hot and just as dreamy to apply as Cotton Buds. It has a slight jelly consistency, making it a touch less opaque than Cotton Buds, yet it applies evenly and dries quickly. I had to use top coat to bring out the shine in Cake Hole as it did not dry to quite the high shine as the above polish. Here it is at two easy coats with top coat:

This was my first experience with Butter LONDON’s lacquers, and now I finally realize what the fuss is about. The lacquers are incredible from application to finish to wear! Even after days of wear, the polish held up and refused to fade. I noticed the longevity when removing the polish – it is definitely built for endurance. The Colour Clash Collection is now available where Butter LONDON lacquers are sold. For more information, check out their website or follow on Facebook!~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

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­The fall catwalks showcased bold, unexpected colour combinations, and nails were no exception. Colour Clash is a chic, surprising new collection of half tones mixed with whitened pastels and polyester brights. Dare to pair these shades for a modern way to wear colour.

“We have this gorgeous, opaque, full-cover white in the collection that I am obsessed with, not to mention that massive white nail trend we have been seeing in sport luxe editorials,” says Katie Hughes, Global Colour Ambassador. “A good white is essential as it will brighten any colour it’s placed under, but it’s also a great base colour for creating nail art as it punches up the colour. One of my favourite collections yet, Colour Clash is so fun and bold.”

Cotton BudsOpaque, pure white cream
A wad of cotton wool fixed to a small stick, used for cleaning.

PimmsOpaque, sun‑flower yellow cream
Gin-based tradition at its finest…this refreshing beverage is almost as popular as English tea.

Giddy KipperOpaque, indigo shimmer
Refers to someone who is overly excited…like anyone who buys this lacquer will be!

WelliesOpaque, grass green cream
A very popular rain boot, seen often in Britain.

Silly BillyOpaque, fire orange crème
A clown popular at fairs in Britain, and a fab nickname for anyone named William.

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butter LONDON Canada presents Summer Holiday, the Summer 2013 lacquercollection by butter LONDON, launching online and in store April 15th!

Make your getaway with the Summer Holiday 2013 Collection by butter LONDON Canada. This season is about being inspired by raw cultural elements and gilded textures. Mix and mash prints, and revel in fabrics that are foiled, embossed, and authentic. Sultry metallics in platinum, gold, and rust evoke luxury, while crushed glitter in rich shades of copper and umber are offset by an accent of African turquoise.